Ponysona: Facing Your True Self is Magic
by Grudge Rhymes With Fudge
Summary: Based on Persona 3, Twilight Sparkle transfers into Gekkoban High School and must unravel the mystery of the Dark Hour together with her friends. Will Twilight figure out a way to grossly abuse the Social Link system with her intelligence? Hmm...
1. Prologue: The Velvet Room

Hello, there, can you hear me? Yes, yes you can. Good.

Greetings and salutations. I am the owner and proprietor of what some may call "The Velvet Room". It's gone under several names over the years, but I quite like the sound of that, yes? "The Velvet Room." Sounds _classy,_ and _mysterious_. It's smashing. _My_ name is, of course, of no importance, but for the purposes of convenience, let's have you call me… "John Smith." No, wait, no, "Igor!" Hunchbacked assistants are _cool._

_..._what? They ARE cool, I mean, _look _at them! Their backs are nice and curved, it makes it easier to shield your head- it's practically a morphological_ evolution_! How is that _not_ cool? Evolution _is_ cool, you must admit, what with adaptations, progress, _all_ that nice, evolution-y... stuff.

Now, you're here because… no, wait, why _are_ you here? _How_ did you get here? That's… _strange_. Do tell me, oh, no, wait, let me guess… hmm… _no_, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I haven't quite gotten _why_ you're here. Or how you _got_ here, which, I think, is the more important question. I mean... Hmm. What a _conundrum_. Or is it a _dilemma_? I'm not quite certain, let me get back to you on that...

Well, how about this for a solution? You can stick around until you can remember why you're here. It's not like we're going anywhere, anyway- we're pretty stuck here for the moment- does that sound all right and good? Good, it does. Great. Um, _do_ take a seat. Relax. I'll have my... unique companion here make you a cup of tea, or something. Tea is _cool. _Not when it's served hot, though, that'd be silly. Anyway, do try to make yourself comfortable. For the moment, you are a _guest_. And guests are generally nice people, from what I've heard.

Oh, and… ignore the bizarre whirring sounds you might hear. That's really nothing for you to be concerned about. And for Celestia's sake, _don't touch anything._ I swear, you'd think everypony would listen to you the _first_ time you tell them...

* * *

><p><em>Time never waits. <em>

_It delivers all equally to the same end._

_You, who wish to protect the future,_

_however limited it may be,_

_You will be given one year;_

_Stand together as one,_

_ and never forget that you are not alone._

**_Memini amici._**


	2. A New Life

**11:47 PM, Nippony Standard Time.**

All Twilight Sparkle could see from the train's windows as it chugged ever closer toward its destination was the Port Island skyline. This was, perhaps, the first sign that life in Tokyoats would be a dramatic change of pace from her peaceful childhood in Equestria- the whole island seemed to glow, radiating a spectrum of colors in all directions, very different from the lamp-lit streets of Canterlot. Buildings, rather than the brick-and-mortar structures she was used to, were glass-and-steel towers that seemed to reach the sky. Carriages and trains, instead of being pulled along by her fellow ponies, ran under their own power (this was something that intrigued Twilight- was it some form of applied magic, or something else? She would definitely have to study this later). The young pony was overcome by feelings of both excitement and trepidation as the train approached what was to be her new home for the next year.

A light-blue book-bag sat next to her, emblazoned with the six-point star that matched the one on her flank. Her attention, in particular, was drawn to the small, black-and-white circular patch sewn onto the side, the emblem of the school she would be attending while in Nippony.

"Gekkoban High School, huh... I wonder what new lessons are waiting for me to learn there? I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!"

Twilight laughed. Luckily, this was the last train, headed toward Umatodai Station (this was her stop, as well as the only way on or off the island barring sea travel, she noted), so nopony could hear her ponderings. She blushed at her nearly having embarrassed herself for the first time since she arrived in this brand new country. Everything was so organized and disciplined here to an almost-mechanical degree, after all (yet another point to be studied- cultural differences in pony civilizations, perhaps?), and she would hate to be a burden, having been given the opportunity of a lifetime to study here (by the Princess, no less, which to her meant that messing up was _not_ an option).

At that moment, the train suddenly stopped, just outside the station. The purple-coated pony fell to the ground due to the sudden change in momentum and hit the ground with an audible thud. Her bag, likewise, slid off the seat, causing one of the books within to slide out and strike her squarely on the head.

BANG.

_"Attention, everypony, we sincerely apologize for the sudden halt. It seems that we've run into a slight snag, as one of the cords seems to have been disconnected. Please, bear with us for the moment, we should arrive at Umatodai station by midnight. I repeat, Umatodai…"_

A voice crackled through the ceiling, and echoed throughout the train. The language was Equestrian, _fluent_ Equestrian, at that, but Twilight noticed the subtle nuances in pronunciation that indicated that the stallion giving his spiel, whoever it was, wasn't a native speaker. If her head didn't hurt so much, she would list them all down in her head, but…

"...a 'snag'. Is THAT what we're calling it now? _Owowowowowow_... This is hardly a snag, this is more like... an incredibly major inconvenience-type… thing!" Twilight massaged her head with her hooves in an effort to ease the pain, frustrated that her syntax had begun to degrade. She turned around, only to find a blue book under her flank, the very same one that had hit her on the head.

"Hmm… some intellectual stimulation should do me nicely! Hmm... 'Two Essays on Ponylytical Psychology?' Can't say I recall bringing THIS book with me... Ah, well. Any book will do, I suppose... especially if it isn't one I haven't read before!"

* * *

><p><strong>5:45 PM, Nippony Standard Time.<strong>

_Eight hours ago..._

_Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

All was quiet in Room 314 of the Umatodai Dormitory, save for the droplets of water falling from the faucet in the bathroom and its sole inhabitant's sniffles of frustration. Pinkie Pie gave the silver-colored pastry at her side a long, wistful gaze –a _cupcake_, specifically, her favourite kind of pastry— and fought back her tears, the temptation to stuff the whole thing in her mouth and eat it was a powerful one. Yet, she _couldn't_ do such a thing- she made a _Pinkie Pie_ swear! She promised that she wouldn't, under any circumstances, eat the scrumptious, mouth-wateringly delicious cupcake, no matter _how_ wonderfully decadent it seemed. This was an _important_ cupcake.

And yet… it was so tempting! Surely, one bite wouldn't hurt?

She raised the cupcake to her mouth and opened wide…

"N-NO! I _can't_! I mustn't! I _promised_! Losing a friend's trust is the easiest way to lose a friend…"

With a concentrated burst of effort, she dropped the cupcake from her hooves. It rolled on its side and landed right-side up, completely untouched, as if by magic- not very surprising, considering the cupcake was made _with_ unicorn magic.

"_FOREVER!_" Pinkie screamed. She had sworn, after all. Cross her heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in her eye- the pink pony _never_ broke her promises.

In an instant, a thought suddenly occurred to her. Speaking of _unicorns_, didn't Rarity and Applejack mention that there would be a new boarder arriving from Canterlot tomorrow? And that the new boarder _was_ a unicorn! GASP! A new _friend_! A new friend who could do _magic!_ Think of the possibilities! The idea excited Pinkie Pie, as she began to hop up and down on the bathroom tiles, giggling incessantly. As if in response to her sudden change in mood, her mane suddenly poofed up- her straight locks were now unruly curls that bounced along with every movement she made.

"Oh boy! What's she going to be like? Does she like _parties_? Don't be a silly filly, Pinkie, _every_ pony likes parties! Unless she's all _mean _and a total party pooper. But I don't think she's a party pooper, now is she? Probably not! I can't wait! When she comes, I'm going to throw her the _biggest_ party _ever_ and it'll be so great! Omigosh, what if she..."

* * *

><p><em>"Hey! What gives? I wasn't finished talking about the super-fun tremendous most-fantastical welcome party yet! Stupid scene break! Pffbbbbbbbbtt!"<em>

* * *

><p><strong>11:57 PM, Nippony Standard Time.<strong>

"'_…a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual.' _Hmm… psychology is actually a new frontier for me. But, as they say, knowledge is the means by which all is revealed _—no wait, that's something else—_ by which we can reach out to the truth,—_that's the line_— so…"

As Twilight Sparkle continued to ponder over what she had just read, the train began to lurch forward, resuming its movement from earlier. She gave a sigh of relief- whatever problems the conductor might have been having were now rectified (and that her vocabulary had returned to her, as well). She watched the train slowly enter the brightly-lit station, continuing at a snail's pace. At this speed, she could take in the sights –or whatever sights there were to be seen in a _train station_ of all places—all the brightly-colored advertisements and bright lights fascinated the young pony.

One sign read, _"Starsong Karaoke Bar- let the world hear _your_ melody!"_

Another read, _"Cheval Café- our Pheromone Coffee brings out the charm in every pony."_

And yet a third read,_ "Gummy Panic: Excitement! Fun! ALLIGATORS!"_

Twilight wasn't sure what to make of the third one in particular—which had a green alligator for a mascot, true to the tagline— but made a note to visit those places at least once. They looked interesting enough. Where were those stores located? "Pollonia Mall"?

_"Attention, everypony, we would like to apologize for the delay. We are now entering Umatodai Station on Tatsuma Port Island. This is our last stop for tonight, thank you for riding with Denkiba Railways, we look forward to seeing you soon. The time is now 11:59, Nippony Standard Time…"_

The crackling voice from earlier came back up once more with yet another message. Twilight Sparkle nodded, and put the book back in her bag.

"That's enough reading for now, I'd say. It's about time for the doors to open."

Surely enough, the doors silently slid open. Twilight took a few moments to admire the door-opening and closing mechanism (was it a form of hydraulics? Yet another topic she would have to do some reading on) and slowly trotted out into the station as the clock struck twelve. Her heart was brimming with excitement as the station fell into darkness.


	3. One Heck Of A Doozy

**The Dark Hour**

"Gosh-darn it to heck. She was right."

Applejack kicked the drywall with her back left hoof. The orange earth pony grunted under her breath in frustration, as she looked at the Tokyoats night sky from the window. The moon was not only full, but much larger than what it was a scant few minutes ago- and did she mention that the sky was green?

"Pinkie was right. The moon is awfully scary tonight. Whatever's comin'... is gonna be one _heck _of a doozy."

A second kick to the drywall followed, this one harder than the last, forming a small crack in the wallpaper. The recoil knocked Applejack's stetson hat off of her head and onto the ground.

"Applejack, darling, I wish you would stop your worrying."

As if in response to the two loud banging noises produced by Applejack's kicking, a white unicorn with delicately-maintained purple curls entered the Umatodai dormitory lobby, as well. She lowered her head to pick up her friend's hat, and put it back on her head, taking care to position it perfectly.

"Rarity, Ah'm only worryin' because Ah have a _really _good reason to worry."

"What 'good reason'? Was it what Pinkie Pie said?"

"You heard her. 'Something _really big_ is goin' to happen when the moon goes all funny-like!'" Applejack said, trying to do her best Pinkie Pie impression. "Or, y'know. _Somethin'_ to that effect. And you _know_ Pinkie has a sixth sense for these things!"

"It certainly defies comprehension, yes, but really, it's nothing to be worried about."

Applejack gave a sigh of discontentment.

"You take _one_ look at that sky up there and tell me nothing's wrong. _One._"

Applejack pointed her hoof at the eerie full moon.

The celestial body was far more menacing than Luna's- none of the usual craters or rock formations were visible. It was as if the entire landscape had changed, if that made any sense. Its usual gentle glow was now an unsettling, pale radiance.

These changes, coupled with what Pinkie had mentioned earlier, were why Applejack was extremely wary. She somehow felt responsible for the lives of her fellow ponies, and she had to be ready for anything that might threaten them. And if the Pinkie Sense was right, there _was_ something. Something _big._

As Applejack pondered, Rarity, meanwhile, squinted her eyes. She tilted her head as if trying to locate just what it was that had her companion so bothered.

"Well, it's certainly _unusual_, but I don't think it's any cause for concern. The Dark Hour isn't exactly new to us, after all. It's been happening every night. And even if there _is_ something, getting all 'worked up', as it were, isn't going to help matters any."

"...yer right, I... s'pose. I guess I _should_ stay calm. Thanks, Rar'."

Rarity nodded, and smiled.

"And besides. We've fought 'them' before, have we not? It's not as if the full moon is going to change that fact in any way."

* * *

><p>"...h-hello? Is… is anypony there?"<p>

The sudden shift to darkness had startled Twilight to the point where she had difficulty keeping her balance. She nearly tripped as she took her first few steps out of the train.

All of the lights had... _died_—Twilight gulped as the word crossed her mind— at once. They didn't dim like the lights back at the airport did. These lights just... went _off,_ along with all the other pieces of electronic equipment in the station. The turnstiles, the billboards, everything- it was as if the electricity supply was _cut_ in a single instant. Even the things that were supposed to be able to function during a blackout were all powered down.

However, it wasn't just the lack of power that unsettled her. It was as if the air about her surroundings had suddenly changed in the blink of an eye. The cool, Tokyoats breeze that she had so enjoyed upon her arrival in Nippony was gone, replaced with an unsettling... an unsettling...

"Argh!"

Twilight struggled to come up with a word to describe just what the air felt like. It was neither hot nor cold- there was no wind, and yet she didn't feel like sweating. The silence didn't help the atmosphere any, either. It wasn't the kind of quiet that she was used to in the library.

If she had to describe it, it was that everything felt... _still_. Completely unmoving. As if...

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that time suddenly stopped, or something!" Twilight laughed nervously, trying to ignore a less-than-sensible thought that had just occurred to her. Looking at the large analog clock, however, it immediately became obvious to her that the thought wasn't as ridiculous as she thought it was.

And what were those odd boxes in the distance? They were large enough to fit a fully-grown pony inside of them, and the crosses on the lids could only indicate...

"...those can't be _coffins_... can they?"

* * *

><p>"Ooh! Ooh! I feel something!"<p>

Pinkie Pie suddenly burst into the room. Rarity gave a high-pitched shriek- the suddenness of Pinkie's arrival had caused her to suddenly fall to the carpeted floor.

"What in blazes... _Pinkamena Diane Pie!_ Don't go and just barge in like a stark-raving madpony, for Celestia's sake! At least have the courtesy to _knock_, or something!"

"Now look who's gone and gotten themselves all 'worked up.' Eheheh."

Applejack giggled at the joke she had just made, to Rarity's bemusement.

Pinkie would have laughed too—of the ponies in the dormitory, she was the most fond of jokes and laughter—but didn't so much as react to Applejack's comment, maintaining a look of utter bewilderment on her face.

"_Another pony_ is, that's what's in blazes! But not literally! Or at least, I hope a fire-breathing Dragon-Shadow or something didn't get to her and _put_ her in blazes!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow as she picked herself up off the ground. Something in what Pinkie had just said got her attention.

"...wait a minute, what was that about a—"

Pinkie interrupted, misinterpreting what the white unicorn was about to say.

"A fire-breathing _Dragon-Shadow?_ I know there might not be one, I mean, I've never even _seen_ one before, but Shadows can shoot fire or something, plus they look like all sorts of things, so maybe a dragon-shaped fire-magic thing isn't so far off—"

"Not that! You said something about there being 'another pony', didn't you?"

Rarity snapped at Pinkie. This was something she definitely needed to hear, and enduring more of Pinkie's nonsense—prophetic as it may occasionally be—was only going to make things more difficult than necessary, and if she was _right_, it was going to only endanger the life of whoever was out there.

The pink earth pony quickly nodded her head in assent.

"Applejack, do you think she means that there's another one of us with the 'potential'?"

"...I hope that pony knows what they're doin', whoever it is. I'm goin' to have myself a look-see. Where d'you figure this pony's hidin'?"

Pinkie closed her eyes to focus. Her nose began to twitch ever so slightly.

"Umatodai station! Umatodai station! And you'd better _hurry_, because that doozy I told you about earlier is—"

Applejack didn't bother listening to the rest of Pinkie's warning, quickly running outside the dormitory building with only her lasso and a small pouch at her side. She knew very well what the pink pony was going to say. She could only hope that it was something she could handle.


	4. Igor

**The Dark Hour**

Twilight had no idea how long it had been since everything faded to black.  
>Her earlier hypothesis, as joking as its mere suggestion was, seemed to be correct- time seemed to have stopped, so she had no real way of knowing. All she knew was that it had been a long while.<p>

How else would anypony explain it? The signs were all there. It's a ridiculous notion, but, as a character from a book she once read had said, when one eliminates the impossible, then whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

There was also the matter of the weirdly-shaped coffins, which, for a reason that Twilight could not even begin to comprehend, seemed to adorn the hallways of the station in no particular pattern... and glowed red, at that. The random positioning of these coffins, however would indicate that- _wait, no, that's ridiculous..._

_No. Just because this whole thing is ridiculous, doesn't mean I can go and ignore that line of reasoning,_ Twilight thought. No matter how much she wished to, she couldn't so easily dismiss the theory that, by some horrific spell's power, coffins had suddenly formed around everyone in the station. She couldn't simply shrug this thought off, especially considering that she was, after all, right about the time.

The unicorn was, to put it bluntly, afraid.  
>This trip to the beautiful eastern country that had felt like a dream until recently... had quickly turned into a nightmare she couldn't help but want to wake up from.<p>

"...huh?"  
>In the midst of the darkness, she could feel some form of energy pulsate from within her bookbag. She set it down, and pulled open the flaps, and sure enough, a faint blue glow shone within.<p>

"Isn't this the book I was reading earlier...?"

* * *

><p><em>"...Rarity! Rarity, can you hear me there, sugarcube? Pick up, consarn it! See, Ah <em>told_ ya that electronic devices don't work at this time a' night!"_

What was unmistakably Applejack's voice came out with an electric crackle from a small, tin box mounted on the lobby's counter. Rarity nodded, and pushed a small red switch positioned on one of the box's sides.

"Applejack, you're coming in loud and clear."

_"Whu- Oh, good. Yer there. That's good. Say, how'd ya manage to get this... 'walkie'... whatever you called it, to work? Ah thought power didn't... well, power, during the Dark Hour."_

"Never mind that! Where are you? What's the situation? Did you find our missing pony?"

_"Ah... Ah'm outside the station. Ah just got here."_

While not immediately obvious, Rarity could tell that Applejack was tired. It wasn't particularly far from the station from the dormitory building, but she was sprinting out in full gallop. Normally, Applejack would be able to make such a run without even breaking a sweat, but then again, this was the Dark Hour. Things never were as they seemed, and Rarity knew that more than anyone.

_"Didja... didja bar the d-doors?"_

"Pinkie's been going around doing just that. I've been watching the main entrance, seeing as how it's the only way into the building from street level."

_"That's... that's good."_

"Applejack. Don't push yourself more than necessary. You need to be able to summon Atlas at any given time, and you know that it's taxing, so _please_-"

This was true. Should one of those creatures emerge from out of the darkness, let alone the 'doozy' that Pinkie had talked about earlier that evening, Applejack would need to be able to call upon her Ponysona.

_"Don't you worry about me, sugarcube. I've done this before. Just gotta do this fast."_

"According to Pinkie, the pony you're looking for is a purple unicorn. She isn't sure what her cutie mark is, but I don't think there would be more than one purple unicorn wandering the streets during the Dark Hour, let alone the train station. Don't hesitate to report back if anything happens."

_"Purple unicorn pony, unknown cutie mark. Got it. Ah'll be back in two shakes of a rabbit's tail."_

* * *

><p><strong>?<strong>

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes to find herself in the middle of a... peculiarly-shaped room, to put it mildly. It was... vaguely round, that is, circular, with sphere-shaped indentations embedded in the walls.

Some sort of large control panel sat in the middle of this room. It wasn't functioning at all, much like the rest of the machinery she had seen earlier. Other than that, the entire room seemed very alien to her- not only the interior design, but even the architecture itself seemed very unusual.

"Where... am I?"

"You're in the TA... the, ah, Velvet Room, right, that's what we're calling it. The Velvet Room, yes."

Twilight was taken aback by the fact that her question was answered. Given the accent, whoever it was was from... Trottingham? She didn't know or care- she was elated to hear another pony's voice. She turned to face whoever it was, and sure enough, there was a brown earth pony wearing a suit and tie. She leaned her head forward to get a better look at him, but all she could notice was that his cutie mark was obscured by his clothing.

"...now if you don't mind my asking, just how did you get in here? I thought for sure that my assistant would have locked the doors..."

"I... don't know! I just opened a book that was glowing blue, and... before I knew it, I was here, all of a sudden!"

"A... book. Hmm. An extradimensional tome, was it? Or... perhaps we are somewhere in your mind... or something. I've no idea, to be honest, just where we are..."

Twilight gave him an odd glance. This pony was musing to himself, as if completely unaware that he was just talking to her.

"Now, if you don't mind my asking... who are you? And... 'the Velvet Room'?"

"I'm... well, I'm a Doctor. You can call me Igor, if you absolutely must call me something. And the Velvet Room is just a name for this place right here... speaking of names, yours must be..."

Twilight looked at Igor's outstretched hoof warily.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle."

"You're... Oh, well, of course you are! How could I possibly think otherwise. _Twilight Sparkle._ Well, it's my pleasure to meet you again, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight extended her hoof in kind, and shook Igor's.  
>But one thing about what he said... was <em>off.<em>

"Wait, again...? What do you mean, 'again'...? You mean, we've met before...?"

Before Igor could respond, his hoof began to glow a faint golden light. This light began to seep out of his hoof, and began to enter Twilight's hoof- it was as if their handshake was a wire, and the light was the electric current that flowed between the two ponies. She felt as if her body was being filled with a certain... warmth that she couldn't really explain. She hadn't ever felt it before, but... it felt... _good._

"Aha. I thought as much."

"Wait. What was that just now?"

"Well, never you mind. Off you go, Ms. Sparkle!"

Igor quickly retracted his hoof upon noticing the glow. A hint of a wry grin appeared on his face, not that Twilight was able to notice.

"But I don't-"

"If my guess is correct, you should be able to return by, well. Try leaving through that door."

Igor nudged his head in the direction of, sure enough, a white door. Compared to the rest of the Velvet Room, however, this door seemed very ordinary, which only added to the sheer oddness of the room.

Twilight approached the door nervously, with so many things in her mind- this 'Igor' seemed like the type of pony to be able to answer everything, so she didn't exactly want to leave just yet.

"But I have so many questions-!"

"And the answers to those questions will be revealed in due time. Or, you know, maybe they won't. Now, go forth, Element of Magic... a friend of yours is waiting for you."

And with that, Twilight pushed the doors open... and stepped out into the void that lay beyond. 

* * *

><p><strong>The Dark Hour<strong>

_"Rarity? You there?"_

Despite it being called 'the Dark Hour', Rarity felt that it had been far more than an hour after Applejack had previously reported in. For all she knew, it probably had been longer, but perceptions were wont to change during this time of night, so she couldn't really say for certain.

_"Rarity? Rarity!"_

"Applejack? What is it?"

_"Ah... Ah think Ah've found her."_


End file.
